It's become a truism in the new auto market: sales of big vehicles are down. The details are different for each country and automaker, but the gist is the same and fuel efficiency of the oversized SUVs and trucks is partly to blame. In this bleak environment (well, bleak if you're an automaker that's used to relying on sales of big vehicles to prop up the bottom line), Lexus is announcing a bit of good news: sales of the RX 400h - which gets 29 mpg U.S. on the combined cycle but still emits 192

While it's no surprise to hear that Lexus will be showing off a more luxurious version of the Prius hybrid sedan, Inside Line is reporting that the upcoming model will be priced over $30,000 and possibly have an older brother in the form of a dedicated hybrid crossover utility vehicle. Based on Toyota's midsize sedan architecture, the crossover vehicle would be similar in size to the hybrid RX that Lexus already sells in pretty good numbers. We have no information on whether Lexus plans to offer

Offsetting the GX and LX opulence-filled 'Utes posessed of large mass, Lexus has trotted out an advertising blitz focusing on its Hybrid vehicles. The campaign, which imagines a world without "H," points out that Lexus has had hybrid cars and SUVs on the road since 2004. The new campaign is titled "the power of h" and features television spots, print spreads, and other media that depicts an environment where H has given up all other pursuits for a post in the Lexus Hybrid revolution. It's clever

One of our eagle-eyed readers happened to accidentally record an automotive program recently that included an interview with Lexus PR Manager Bill Ussery. Ussery gives the interviewer the full rundown on the Lexus RX400h hybrid crossover, explaining that there is no need to plug it in since it generates it's own electricity. This of course will be a disappointment to many of our readers. You can watch the video after the jump.

Some guys get off on rock climbing. Others sky dive, bungee jump, spend exorbitant amounts of money in the stock market and more, just to experience a thrill or two. Danish-born eco adventurer Hans Tholstrup gets his kicks from going green in ways no one has gone green before. Fans of the World Solar Car Challenge, for example, can credit the race's founding to Tholstrup, and he was originally made famous when he circled the continent of Australia in a 16-foot open boat.

Walter McManus over at
Hybrid Cars published a little mea
culpa about his recent estimates of the real-world cost of owning and operating a hybrid vehicle. His estimates of the
costs from a few weeks ago showed, like the recent Consumer Reports numbers, that most ended up being cost
disadvantages for consumers. This means that they cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars more than
similar non-hybrid vehicles, even when you figured in reduced gas consumption. The hybrids tested

U.K. Channel 4 reports
that Ken Livingston, the mayor of London, England, is questioning the exemption status of the Lexus RX400h SUV. Owners
of the hybrid do not pay the normal eight pound ($14 USD) daily "congestion charge" levied on London drivers
by the city.